Immersion burner



7` 6 Y was m.. 1w g .2. 54% www@ M f irak/m June 11, 1940. A. v. mTTs ErAL IuuRsIoN BURNER Filed July 2. 1958 UNITED STATE Patented lJune 11, 1940 rmasron BURNER Application July 2, 1938, Serial No. 217,198 Claims. (Cl. 126-360) ,PATENT OFFICE.

'I'his invention relates to a fuel burning device and is for a fuel burning device to "be operated in a. liquid bath for heating and agitating the bath.

.-5 In certain industrial operations, as for example in metal plckling baths, the acid bath is kept at an elevated temperature and some degree of agitation is ordinarily desired. One common method of heating and agitating such baths is to discharge steam into the bath below the p surface, the steam serving to both heat and agitate the liquid. This has certain disadvantages, however, in that it not only requires a boiler or steam plant and a line from the boiler to the tank, but the condensation of steam in the bath during a days run is such as to considerably dilute the bath. The tanks are sometimes directly fired, but such installations are costly and do not produce the desired agitation in the bath.

According to the present invention, there is provided a burner which can be lowered directly into a pickling or other bath. Combustion takes place under the surface of the liquid and the gasesof combustion are'discharged into the liquid, thereby producing agitation. Any desired number of burners can be used in a tank. The tanks themselves can be of simple construction, and no provision lhas to be made for any boiler plant and no dilution of the liquid occurs.

The .invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates certain embodiments of the invention and in which Figure 1 represents a vertical section through u a burner, the view showing the burner immersed in a liquid bath;

Figure 2 is a detailed view on alarger scale of the upper portion of the apparatus shown in Figure l, the view being a vertical section;

40 Figure 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is` a detailed view showing in section a modified outlet at the end .of the combustion chamber; i

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 of another modification for the combustion gas outlet.

In the drawing, A designates a tank and B indicates liquid within thetank, and C designates the liquid level.

The burner comprises a combustion chamber,

, preferably in the form of a tube 2. For use in a relatively shallow tank, `the tube 2 lis preferably L shaped with a horizontally extending portion 2 at the bottom thereof, but the length and shape of the combustion chamber maybe varied according to the depth of the fluid in the tank and according to various other factors. The combustion chamber is filled with tightly packed lumps of sillimanite or other refractory lumps, the lumps being large enough so that the burn- ,5 ing gases may pass through the interstices between them. This mass of tightly packed lumps of refractory material is designated 3. At the I top of the .combustion chamber is a burner member 4 having an orifice 5 through which air is lo condubted into the `combustion chamber. A pipe 6 is telescoped into the pipe 2 above the liquid level. This pipe is closed at its top by a plate 1. Air under pressure is supplied to the interior of the pipe 6 through an air supply l5 pipe 8. A fuel pipe 9 extends from the cover plate 'l down into the orifice 5 and terminates above the refractory bed 3. It preferably terminates below the liquid level C.u The concentric gas and air pipes provide a burner. Gas is go supplied to the tube 9 through a gas supply pipev III. Air and gas flowing to the burner may be controlled by any suitable regulating device to maintain the proper proportions of air and gas, such regulating device being well known in the g5 art and forming no part of the present invention. Mounted on the cover 1 to one side of the pipe 9 is a long flame pilot burner designated generally as I I and comprising a tube I2 having an air supply opening into it at I3. Above the air sup- 3g ply opening I3 is a gas supply pipe I4. Between the air and gas inlets is a plug I5 carrying a long tubular extension I6 projecting into the tube II well below' the air intake pipe I3. Mounted in the tube I2 is a. spark plug I1 for 35 igniting the air and gas mixture in the tube II. Extending downwardly from the tube I2 and forming in effect a continuation thereof, is a flame tube I2 that terminates at the lower end ofthe burner block 4. 'I'he pilot burner II as 40 so constructed will project a long flame down through the flame tube I2 into the refractory A mass immediately adjacent the end of the burner block. A gas-tight peep hole is preferably provided at the top of the burner II, this peep hole 4l comprising a cap I8 in which is a glass or window I9. The cover is also provided with a nipple to which is secured a peep hole compris. ing a cap 20 with a glass 2|, the construction being similar to that shown for the peep hole 5o IIB-I9. at the top of the pilot burner. 'Ihe lower end of the combustion chamber may be provided with-various types of terminals for discharging thel gases of combustion intol the liquid. InFigure 1 the end of the combustion 55,

is preferably provided with some means through which the volume of gas escaping through it directly to atmosphere may be controlled. We have shown a simple form of butterfly valve located in the pipe 23 above the liquid level for` accomplishing such regulation, but it will be understood that various other arrangements including interchangeable orifice plates may be substituted.` A perforated plate 22a may be located in the combustion chamber to hold the refractory material inl place `and provide an o'pen chamber from which the pipes 22 and 23 lead.

' In the operation of the burner, air is turned into the pipe 8. This blows the liquid out of the combustion chamber and after the liquid has been forced out` of the combustion chamber, air and gas are/turned into the pilot burner and the mixture is lighted, causing a flame to be discharged into the combustion chamber at the end of the burner l. Gas is then turned into the burner pipe I and the mixture coming from the burner il' lighted. This mixture burns in the combustion chamber and by reason of the presence of the refractory material, a relatively large the combustion chamber discharge through the openings in the plate 22a' into the liquid. `If the by-pass pipe 23 is provided, some of the gases of combustion may escape through the pipe 23 to lessen the volume of gases discharged into the liquid and thereby .reduces the turbulence. e peep holes i8|9 and 2li-2l enable the operator to observe if the device is working properly.

In lieu of a plate such as the plate 22a which discharges the gases endwise into the fluid, the combustion chamber may have a termina-l portion as shown in Figure 4 where there is a perforated extension 25 having a closed 'end 2E. With this arrangement the gases of combustion are' discharged in all directions around the vei:- tension 25. This form of terminal can be used in conjunction with the by-pass tube 23 as described in connection with Figure l.

In Figure 5 there is illustrated another form of gas discharge terminal which is designed especially for use in very shallow baths. With this form of device, the end of the combustion chamber 2' is closed by a perforated cap 21. Secured to the chamber by supporting members 28 is a flat plate 29, the level of which is preferably just awash of the liquid in the bath. This plate diffuses the escaping gases and prevents too violent a bubbling in a shallow bath. Y This arrangement may, of course. be used in conjunction with' by-pass pipe 23 as shown in Figure l.

Where the burner is to be used in an acid bath, the combustion chamber 2 is Vpreferablyl and therefore will not be melted. Likewise, the

joint between ythe lead tube and the upper tube 6 is located at the remote point from the burner so that any low melting temperature solder which is used to join the lead to the tube 6 will not be close enough to the flame to be affected by the heat.

The invention'provides an immersion burner which can be set into a pickllng or other bath to directly heat the liquid within the bath and to simultaneously agitate it. pact construction and one which can be used with safety. It may be shut down at night and lighted' up in the morning without removing it from the liquid. It can be operated at a high yrate of combustion when the bath is being heatedfup and the rate of combustion can thereafter be reduced merely to maintain the temperature ofA the bath after the bath has reached a predetermined temperature. s

While we have illustrated and described certain specific embodiments of our invention, it will be understood thatthis is by way of illus-l tration and that the invention may be otherwise embodied and various changes and modifications may be made in the combinations illustrated within the scope of the following claims. The term immersion burner as. used herein is intended to define only that type of burner which is operated below the level of a bath in which the burner is immersed and wherein the combustion chamber communicates with the bath below the liquid level so that combustion occurs in actual contact with the liquid.

We claim:

1. An immersion burner for the direct heating of liquids comprising a combustion chamber constructed for immersion in a liquid bath, said combustion chamber comprising a metal shell having a refractory mass therein withk inter- -stices through the refractory mass through which burning gases may permeate, a burner opening into the combustion chamber, .means for supplying air andgasV to the burner, said combustion chamber having an opening therein in that portion thereof which is most remote from the burner, which opening is below the normal liquid level of the bath when the burner is immersed, and a pipe also leading from the combustion chamber in that portion which is most remote from the burner to a point als-.we the liquid level of said bath, the location of said opening and pipe being such that the gases and combustion products travel the length of the refractory mass and through the greater portion of thelength of the combustion chamber before being discharged.

2. An immersion burner for the'direct heating of liquids comprising a combustion cham= ber constructed for immersion in a liquid bath, said combustion chamber comprising a metal shell having a refractory mass therein with interstices through the refractory mass through which burning gases may permeate, a burner opening into the combustion chamber, means for supplying air and gas to the burner, said combustion chamber having an opening therein in that portion thereof which is most remote from the burner which opening is below the normal liquid level of the bath when the burner is immersed, a pipe also leading from the connl bustion chamber in that portion which is most remote from the burner tc a point above the liquid level of said bath. and variable means for It provides a comcontrolling the now of combustion gases through g5 said pipe and vary the proportion of gases that 4. An immersion burner of the class described enter the liquid bath. having a combustion chamber adapted to oper- 3. An immersion burner for the direct heatate beneath the surface of the liquid, a terminal ing of liquids comprising a combustion chamber portion for the combustion chamber opening di- 5 in the form of a tubular shell with imperforate rectly into the iiuid in which the chamber is 5 walls, the combustion chamber being packed immersed, said portion also having a pipe ex- With lumps of refractory material, a burner at tending upwardly a height sufficient to rise one end of the combustion chamber, means for above the` surface of the liquid. supplying air and fuel to the burner, the said 5. An immersion burner of the class described 10 shell at that end portion which is most remote having a combustion chamber adapted to operlo from the burner being provided with an opening ate beneath the surface of the liqid, a terminal through which gases of combustion may escape portion for the combustion chamber opening didirectly into the bath in which the burner' is irnrectly into the fluid in which the chamber is mersed, the opening being below the level o! immersed, said portion also having a pipe ex- 15 the liquid in which the combustion chamber is tending upward a height suicient to rise above constructed to be immersed, the portion of the the surface of the liquid, and means for regucombustion chamber remote from the burner lating the amount of combustion gas discharged also having a vent. pipe leading therefrom upinto the uid and discharged above the fluid. wardly to a point above the level of the liquid ARCH V. RITTS.

20 in which the burner is immersed. OSCAR R. OLSON. gg 

